When building something new, what's more important: that it works, or that it looks good? The Aesthetic-Usability Effect says that users perceive more aesthetically pleasing designs as easier to use than less aesthetically pleasing designs.

#ux

#design

#startup

Shrimps is Bugs: Red Lobster ate itself to death

Red Lobster's bankruptcy and the importance of understanding your product's pricing and business model, especially for founders and indiehackers building Saas products.

#product

#marketing

#startup

The Endowment Effect: why useful trials make for sticky products

The endowment effect is a psychological phenomenon where people value things more highly simply because they own them. How can you use this to make your product stickier?

Beyond the walled garden: what Spotify and Substack get wrong

It's natural for big companies to make mistakes - but when they do, it's a great opportunity for smaller companies to build something better.

Designing for hospitality

"Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara outlines how to making customers feel exceptionally special. Let's bring these hospitality principles to tech, by creating memorable experiences, and using hospitality to elevate customer satisfaction in product design, engaging with the people using our products.

Take my money! Some of my favorite tools... and why I pay for them

I'm a huge fan of products that use their a free tier to prove their value, and then convert me to a paying customer. Here are a few tools I pay for, and why I think they're worth it.

I hate Tailwind CSS. Here's why I use it.

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that I've come to love. Here's why I use it and why I think you should too.

Build, measure, listen, rebuild

Building better products involves skills you won't learn in computer science school, or at a boot camp. Find success through testing, learning from real-world feedback, and adapting.

#product

#ux

#startup

The product design spectrum: crowdsourcing, user research, and the myopic approach

In product design, there's a critical difference between crowdsourcing ideas and feedback, and user research.

3 Ways to use Annual Pricing to your advantage

Annual pricing is a great way to increase your revenue and decrease your churn. Here are 3 ways to use annual pricing to your advantage.

#product

#startup

Do this with Your Product Waitlist: A Guide for Indiehackers and Startup Founders

Learn strategies to leverage your product waitlist for sustainable growth. Ideal for indiehackers and startup founders, this guide offers actionable tips to convert initial interest into paying customers.

#product

#founder

#startup

Breaking the cycle: Data-driven product descisions

Learn how to escape common product development pitfalls using data-driven decisions. Read how Craftwork used analytics to optimize their user experience.

My startup got into Y Combinator

Well, our startup did - Craftwork is a tech-connected home painting company that is making it easier for homeowners to get their homes painted.

#startup

#product

#ycombinator

Two truths and a lie: what Meta got right with the Threads launch

Meta's new app, Threads, is a Twitter clone that launched last week. It's not perfect, but it's a great example of a product launch that went extremely well.

Building in public: 400 subscriber milestone report for my newsletter

04/06/2023

Tiny Improvements has seen 350% growth in the last 6 months. This is my reflection on that growth, and tips for anyone interested in writing a newsletter.

The first 90 days as a technical cofounder - building a startup in 2023

I'm building a new company for the first time since 2016. A lot has changed since then. Here's what feels different this time around.

#newsletter

#startup

#founder

These are the books that shaped my career

A sampling of books that have had a fundamental impact on my career as a designer, developer and startup founder.

What I've learned from working in public

I'm a big fan of working in public. It's a great way to get feedback and improve your work... you just have to be ready to deal with The Internet™️

#startup

#indiehackers

#environment

I'm building a tiny product

05/22/2022

Let's call it an experiment. I'm building a tiny product to see if I can make something people will buy.

How do you choose the right CRM for your product?

05/10/2022

You're building relationships with all of your customers, whether you know it or not. Setting up the right CRM for your product can help make those relationships stronger.

Proximity Acquires SMPL Software

04/08/2020

In early 2020, smpl was acquired by Proximity. I was cofounder and CEO of smpl - we proudly helped independent coworking spaces manage their communities with automated billing, invoicing, and community management. It was a wild ride, and I couldn't have done it without my two amazing cofounders.

We were acquired by our biggest competitor, Proximity, who are continuing the dream by creating a network of amazing, independently owned coworking spaces around the world.

Read the press release about the acquisition to find out more.

There is another (paywalled) article on Business Insider about the acquisition, too!

More about smpl on Crunchbase.

Tools we used to build smpl:

Introducing Pistola - Building a passion project with radical transparency

02/21/2020

If you follow me across the various other social networks I use, you'll likely stumble across my passion for cycling. For the past 8 or so years, road cycling has been my primary form of exercise. I love cycling; it keeps me sane, and helps me live a healthier life, while seeing the world. If you haven't been on a bike recently, you should give it a shot - I can't recommend it enough.

50 Most Powerful startups in Charlotte

11/10/2017

I was cofounder and CEO of smpl, a SaaS startup helping independent-scale coworking operators automate their business. We were featured in a 2017 Article by Axios Charlotte (then called The Charlotte Agenda) as one of the most powerful (lol) startups in town. Pretty cool!

Top 30 Under 30 Future Leaders of Charlotte - Elevate Lifestyle 2016

06/07/2016

#startup

Photo of me being recognized as one of Charlotte's 30 under 30 in 2016

Not much on the web about this these days, but if you really want to go spelunking, here's a Wayback Machine link from late 2016 that's captured the gist of it. Wayback Machine: Top 30 Under 30 Future Leaders of Charlotte, Elevate Lifestyle 2016, and an old facebook event.